Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Demonic Sword and Fake Necromancer (1)
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The guild considered the best in South Korea, the Sacred Guild.
The Sacred Guild had earned that image by boasting a roster of top-tier hunters.
And when speaking of the best hunters, one name that couldn't be omitted was Kim Suho.
Kim Suho.
He was an A-rank hunter, no less. And his background was extraordinary.
After all, he was the only son of the Sacred Guild's guild master.
But that wasn't the end of it.
He had been the top graduate of the 14th Golden Class at Hunter Academy, where all the most elite talents gathered.
He had even ventured to the Eldorado Continent, a place few hunters ever visited.
And what of his exploits on the Eldorado Continent?
He had been formally ordained as a Holy Knight by the White Church, the one true order devoted to the goddess.
All these factors intertwined to propel Kim Suho to his current position in record time.
And if you asked who the most famous hunter in the country was, Kim Suho's name would be the first on everyone's lips.
'What a bore.'
Yet the man himself found it all utterly tedious.
It was too boring.
Even now, the conversation around him was nothing but drivel.
"...So lately, the Phoenix Guild master's second son hasn't been seen at any official events."
A guild executive meeting.
It wasn't particularly important, so his father, the guild master, hadn't attended.
Kim Suho was there in his place, but the meeting was so dull he could barely stifle his yawns.
"Our informants dug around, and it turns out the second son, Jeong Woo-jin, challenged a dungeon conquest and failed."
Boring.
Why bother paying attention to the Phoenix Guild, which was beneath them anyway?
Especially over some failure at dungeon conquest.
Kim Suho was displeased, but he kept up the appearance of attentive listening.
Of course, his mind was elsewhere entirely.
'It was more fun back at the academy.'
He fondly remembered hanging out freely with his buddies and how all the academy instructors treated him well.
And.
'Tormenting that bastard Yi Kang-hyun was the real highlight.'
A guy without a status window struggling to survive—it was pathetically amusing.
That's why he'd bullied him relentlessly throughout the academy, finding pleasure in his suffering.
Once, he'd even broken his arms and legs.
The more Yi Kang-hyun writhed in agony, the greater Kim Suho's thrill.
Guilt? He felt none.
Did you feel guilt stepping on an ant on the sidewalk?
To Kim Suho, Yi Kang-hyun was exactly that—an ant crawling on the street.
'I wonder what he's up to these days.'
Lately, the boredom had been so intense he'd taken to killing people in dungeons now and then to kill time.
But even that was starting to wear thin.
'Maybe I should look into what he's been doing.'
He'd been swamped lately with guild duties, dungeon raids, and public appearances, barely having a moment to himself.
So he'd forgotten about Yi Kang-hyun.
But now that he remembered, tracking him down would be easy.
The hunter world was full of his academy classmates.
They might not be on his level, but most had decent connections, so one phone call would reveal Yi Kang-hyun's whereabouts.
'Focus on the meeting for now.'
It was still in progress.
Kim Suho shook off the distractions and tuned back in.
"According to our mole in the Phoenix Guild, the failed dungeon had an incubus and succubus inside."
What?
They got done in by trash like that?
Kim Suho's expression twisted.
Regardless of his reaction, the meeting pressed on.
"The problem is the succubus. There's only one, but she's presumed to be the dungeon's master. Her rank is..."
The speaker trailed off for a moment.
He took a sip of water, then spoke with a grim face.
"...Estimated at S-rank."
Everyone gasped at the word.
"S-rank? Isn't that a massive exaggeration? Didn't the second son come back alive?"
"The Phoenix Guild's just spinning lies to cover their screw-up."
"If there was an S-rank monster, we would've known! And what about the government?!"
Voices rose, all denying the possibility of an S-rank monster.
S-rank monster.
Kim Suho felt a flicker of interest.
On the Eldorado Continent scale, it equated to a 6-star being.
But from his studies at the church, he knew better.
Nothing above 5-star truly existed anymore.
Sure, records showed a few 6-stars—S-rank equivalents—had appeared in Eldorado's past.
Even a 7-star calamity once.
But those were ancient history.
The demon realm might be different.
But that was Eldorado talk. This was Earth.
On Earth, true S-ranks were rare enough to count on one hand.
Or more precisely, they weren't true S-ranks.
They were A-ranks bordering on S, but the devastation was so immense they warranted the S designation.
An S-rank now?
If true, everyone who entered that dungeon should've died.
Yet the reports said they all survived.
'Ridiculous.'
Kim Suho's interest waned quickly.
A real S-rank was a calamity.
He'd seen the church records.
One alone could cripple a small nation.
Why would it let hunters escape?
He chalked it up to the Phoenix Guild's propaganda to save face.
Of course.
Monsters and dungeons were growing stronger gradually, so he couldn't rule it out forever.
But for now, he was certain: no S-ranks.
'As if S-rank monsters are stray dogs.'
Not worth hearing more.
Kim Suho pulled out his smartphone and checked his messages.
'Who's this?'
A text from Kang Jin-su.
He thought for a second, then remembered: an academy classmate.
Not on his level, though.
The type who brown-nosed the powerful.
The guy who'd egged him on while bullying Yi Kang-hyun—easy to recall.
Come to think of it, he was working at an awakening center, doing mana scans or something.
"Hah."
His good image lately was attracting even insignificant flies.
Kim Suho considered deleting the text but decided to check it.
'This bastard...'
It was about Yi Kang-hyun.
And quite intriguing.
"He got a status window? And necromancer skills to boot?"
That was the gist.
A necromancer who could only summon one skeleton, apparently.
Maggot-tier ability-wise.
But Kim Suho fixated on the status window.
How the hell did he get one?
Intriguing.
'Guess I need to meet this Kang Jin-su guy.'
His old toy had returned, upgraded.
Kim Suho was thrilled.
'Clear the backlog first.'
The thought of toying with Yi Kang-hyun again ignited his motivation.
* * *
"Maru, let's head home quick. Cook some ramen when we get there."
The skeleton soldier beside me nodded.
Just a 1-star monster—F-rank on Earth—but useful enough to keep around.
I'd even named it 'Maru.'
We were on our way back from the awakening center.
To officially keep a monster like Maru, I had to register it.
Result: certified as a necromancer.
Only one summon, and obviously couldn't summon or dismiss in front of the clerk.
But Maru obeyed me so perfectly, denying it was awkward.
'It came from my smartphone, so it's mine.'
In the end, I became a fake necromancer with official permission to keep Maru.
On the way home with Maru.
Ding-
Ding-
My smartphone chimed.
Come to think of it, it rang earlier too. What was up?
Nothing major.
Just someone invading the dungeon, repelled successfully.
"Celia really nails her job."
Maru nodded beside me.
A shadow?
What was that?
No explanation.
And it wasn't some everyday shadow, obviously.
The puzzlement didn't last.
Tch.
This damn low altar level was costing me opportunities.
And I couldn't upgrade it yet, so all I could do was sigh in regret.
"What's the point if I can't even use it?"
As I grumbled.
Successfully defended the dungeon.
All minions successfully fulfilled their roles.
As additional reward, time for ongoing sacrifices is reduced.
Current sacrifice list includes: Demonic Sword.
You may claim the Demonic Sword immediately.
Claim the Demonic Sword?
An alert popped up saying that "You may claim the Demonic Sword immediately", which was still days away, was now ready.
"That's what I'm talking about!"
Of course, not here on the street.
"Let's sprint home, Maru."
Time to show you something awesome, bro.